Review: Love and Friendship

Love and Friendship is the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s short story Lady Susan. Written and directed by Whit Stillman and filmed on our shores, Love and Friendship stars KateBeckinsale, Chloe Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, and Stephen Fry.

Set in the 1790s, the beautiful Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale) has gotten herself into quite the pickle. After rumours of her private life and conduct circulate, she takes refuge with her in-laws. Lady Susan decides the solution to her woes is to find a husband for both her and her daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) to keep them in the life they have become accustomed to.

Love and Friendship is a hilarious story that many will be surprised to see Jane Austen’s name attached to. For those unfamiliar with her body of work, we’d be most familiar with her dramatic pieces. This light hearted look at high society and their marriages is refreshing and even gives you a sense of “love to hate” for the lead character.

Lady Susan is a beautiful woman who uses her assets to her advantage. She is broke after her husband’s death and her daughter isn’t playing along in her schemes. She was staying with family friends the Manwarings until her affair with Mr. Manwaring (Locklann O’Mearáin) became known. She then sets her sights on Reginald DeCourcy (Samuel), the brother to her brother-in-law’s wife. He’s young and handsome and will eventually inherit a fabulous estate. As she ping-pongs between them, she is also trying to tempt Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett) away from Maria Manwaring for her daughter Frederica. Frederica can’t stand the fellow as he’s (to put it lightly) an imbecile. Without giving away the ending, all of these schemes lead to Lady Susan being rather unlikeable on paper but her charm and wit is infectious and audiences can’t help but admire her ambition.

The only person who is privy to her schemes is her American friend Alicia Johnson (Sevigny). Her husband, Mr. Johnson (Fry) has banned her from seeing Lady Susan as Mr. Manwaring’s wife Lucy (Jenn Murray) is his ward and he doesn’t take kind to his wife’s friend stealing her husband. He threatens Alicia that if she continues to communicate with Lady Susan, she will be returned to America.

This all may sound rather confusing but it’s explained much better throughout the film. Each character is even given their own close up with a caption of their name when first introduced. Each location is clearly labelled also as the Irish countryside is showcased. [The film is set in England but as is a common occurrence in the business, Ireland is used in its stead.]

As the film is made in conjunction with Blinder Films (The Queen of Ireland) and features many Irish actors, it’s a great example of how Irish film is on the rise and showcases Irish talent excellently too. Writer/director Whit Stillman has spoken frequently about his love for filming in Ireland and has hinted at a possible return. He told RTE’s Ten:

Any way I can shoot here again, I’ll do it. It’s the best place to shoot and film and I have another Jane Austen I’d like to do at some point, so it’d be ideal to come back here. We’d have to find new houses or shoot different angles of these houses!

It would be a surprise not to see Whit on our shores again with another Jane Austen title as his direction and style of writing seems to fit well Austen’s. There are many walking and talking scenes that are done in a continuous take that gives audiences the air of walking with the characters. It envelops viewers into the tale which leads to an attachment to the characters.

The humour in the film is carried out brilliantly with one line staying in my mind where Lady Susan is discussing Mr. Johnson with Alicia. She says that he is too old to be governed but yet too young to die, hinting that Alicia is left in a sort of limbo with her husband and his rules. It’s delivered in such a nonchalant way that laughter can’t be helped. She later adds the zinger “May Mr. Johnson’s next gouty attack end more favourably”. If Love and Friendship was set in modern times, that line would have been followed by several finger clicks. It’s this smooth style from the performances and the direction that gives the film a wonderful balance and flow. For a film that was shot in less than a month, all involved can only be applauded.

Love and Friendship has been taking the festival circuit by storm and after seeing the film, it’s clear why. Its sharp wit, beautiful cinematography, and charming performances bring a light hearted Jane Austen tale to life.

Geek Ireland Chief of Operations, Film and TV enthusiast who is a Disnerd in every sense of the word: Animation, Pixar, Live action, Marvel and especially, Lucasfilm lover. Also be warned - don't talk to her before she's had at least 1 cup of tea....for your own safety.